Pitman High held a signing day for four of its student-athletes on Thursday. Vicki Rouse, Marissa Marable, AJ Derr and Steven Kha all signed letters of intent in a library packed with coaches, teachers, teammates, family and friends. Tears were abundant as the parents of each player sat next to him or her, watching them take their next step in life and athletics.

Rouse was the first to ink her letter, committing to UC Merced’s volleyball team. Over the course of her high school career Rouse accumulated a 4.0 GPA to complement her list of athletic accomplishments which includes a CCC championship in 2011. She was named all CCC player of the year in her championship season thanks to her 178 attack kills, 77 blocks, 66 assists and average of 2.3 kills a game.

Marable was next to grab the pen, ensuring her spot on Sonoma State’s soccer team. Marable, who also plays basketball for Pitman, managed to juggle her athletics and academics to finish with a 4.38 GPA. As a sophomore Marable joined the Pride’s varsity soccer squad. In 2011 she helped the Pride win a CCC championship and was named co-Offensive Player of the Year in 2011. Marable’s 44 total points, 18 goals, and 18 assists are only a fraction of her accomplishments on the soccer field as she was also part of the Modesto Ajax traveling team.

The final two signings of the day were for baseball. Derr committed to Point Loma University in San Diego and Kha committed to Oregon’s Corban University.

Derr excelled in both football and baseball during his time at Pitman. He was named to the all CCC team for football and baseball three out of his four years as a Pride athlete and was also named to the all district team in 2011 for both sports. In 2011 Derr was named the Wendy’s High School Heisman winner and finished with a 4.0 GPA.

Kha focused his talents solely on the baseball diamond where he earned a honorable mention in 2010 and was named 2nd team all CCC in 2011. In his senior year he was chosen for the Rawlings Nor-Cal World Series all-star team thanks to his .333 batting average and .443 on base percentage. He holds a 3.9 GPA.